
Captain Valentine Jernam drank with Joyce Harker in the back room of the Jolly Tar after a profitable voyage. Four years since thou carried me from a New Orleans hospital; I owe thee life enough to warn thee now. You step into this one-chapter preview with Joyce Harker at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. Black Milsom waited for the full dream while Wayman's footsteps sounded beyond the door. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
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